Recent communications technology has produced a new type of consumer--one that receives a significant portion of his or her mail and information electronically via the so-called "information superhighway". Organizations such as CompuServe, Prodigy and America On-Line currently link over six million users, via computer, to a wealth of information from stock reports to headline news and from travel information to weather forecasts. Even more impressive is the Internet, a worldwide array of interconnections allowing anyone with access not only to connect with anyone else, but to get information on virtually any subject 24 hours a day. Today Internet connects between 20 and 30 million users (about 50% commercial) and is growing at the surprising rate of 10% per month. In total there are currently 34,000 networks connected to one another worldwide. One estimate indicates that 100 million consumers will be tied directly or indirectly to Internet by 1998. A large percentage of personal computers sold today have high quality graphics and multimedia capability.
Various weather information is available on Internet and On-Line services. A TV station in Alabama provides an Internet weather report for one geographical location. The Internet report includes both audio and graphic information. A number of universities make weather maps and other weather data available on Internet. The information typically includes large quantities of weather data that may be meaningful to a meteorologist, but not to the average Internet user.
Accu-Weather, Inc. provides a dial-up service that includes weather information in the form of weather maps, satellite images, data and text. The information is apparently obtained from the National Weather Service and includes limited forecasts. Again, this service provides large quantities of weather data that may be meaningful to a meteorologist, but not to the average Internet user.
None of the known weather information services available on Internet or on-line services provide a simple, easily understood, user-friendly report of weather forecasts and other related outdoor information for different geographical locations. Nor do current weather information services take advantage of the multimedia capabilities of user machines by providing presentations that include graphics, text, animation and audio. An Internet user may wish to obtain a forecast of local weather conditions as an alternative to obtaining the forecast on television or radio. Furthermore, the Internet user may wish to obtain a simple, easily understood weather forecast or ski report for an area to which he is traveling, or simply as a matter of interest. Such presentations of outdoor information are not currently available.